It is estimated that less than 0.1% of Iowa's original prairie
remains. A majority of Iowa was once covered with prairie. The few
scattered remnants left are often overlooked in the vast sea of
row crops and non-native species that have been planted everywhere. Some
remnants exist in pastures that have never been plowed, some in road ditches,
and some in pioneer cemeteries. Work
is ongoing to identify, and hopefully protect, those few remnants that
remain.

Go to our Pre-Settlement
and Current Landcover page to see the historic extent of
prairie and other vegetation communities in your area. There are also maps
of present vegetation types in your
area.

This site is offered to help people get in touch with their
environment. In order for people to care about preserving what's left, they must first know what they
have. If people are to care about the plight of the prairie, they must be able to see,
and if not understand it, at least revel in its' beauty.

Remember to ask
permission if a remnant is on private land. Prairie plants are
wonderful to view in the wild. Removing them from their native habitat
robs all of us of their beauty and our natural heritage. They are also hard to transplant, and
most often die. Therefore, they are best left in
their native state for all to enjoy, so please don't remove any plants from a
remnant.

Do you own, or have located a prairie
remnant? Would
like to showcase that special place to the people of Iowa? Contact us and we will put it on
this site.

Iowa Prairies by Agency or Organization

Not all of these areas are prairies, but all
harbor some of Iowa's rarest plants and ecosystems.